Faculty development is essential to promote pedagogical innovation and the transformation of teaching practices. The faculty development model presented in this study was guided by three research questions about how scholars engage in institutionally held training opportunities for professional development; how scholars engage with and collaborate…

Ongoing professional learning in supportive contexts, such as in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) has been indicated as effective in promoting reinvigoration in teaching. PLCs are a community of educators that engage in a regular process of learning and reflection, where faculty can work together with peers toward common goals and purposes…

Fandom practices are often considered meaningless and unnecessary. However, the use of social media carries the potential for positive as well as negative impact on the users. Using the framework of Community of Practice, the latest theory addressing community formation and interaction, as its theoretical framework, the study explores the…

Racism continues to persist in academia and institutions of higher learning play a central role in the actions needed to root it out. Leaders and employees at community colleges seek to do this by constructing initiatives, task forces, and learning communities that are dedicated to this cause. Little research has been conducted, however, on…

We share insights from a mixed methods study to describe the experience of educational developers participating in a community of practice (CoP). This CoP consisted of 19 leaders at eight institutions, serving collectively as facilitators of a hybrid, across-institutional, seven-week workshop series on course design for graduate students and…

While there has been a recent focus on developing programs to support educational research by community college anatomy and physiology instructors, there is not yet an established long-term community of practice (CoPs) in this particular area. Studies of long-term CoPs, particularly in STEM education, are few and far between. This study examines…

Professional organizations can play an important role in the lives and work of educators. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore Alabama educators' experiences with membership in statewide professional organizations and to determine what benefits, if any, members feel their organizations provide them. Four main benefits that…

In this research, we assessed the impacts of participation in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Scholars community built around the scaffolding of multiple strategies that fostered belonging and integrated the use of wise psychological interventions to enhance the experiences of college students who belong to groups that have…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to highlight the role an intentional and cohesive research group for doctoral researchers and supervisors can play in surfacing and de-mystifying many of the implicit doctoral literacy practices involved in doctoral study. Design/methodology/approach: This participatory, collaborative project, involving 11…

This mixed-method study explored academics' beliefs about interdisciplinary research collaboration (IDRC) and their influences on collaborative practices in a Chinese research university. Exploratory interviews with nine academics were first conducted to examine their beliefs about IDRC. The findings revealed that the academics' beliefs about IDRC…

Various pedagogical tools have been used by educators as they seek to build classroom communities that support learning. This mixed-methods case study examined the experiences of students who utilized a class Facebook group as a pedagogical tool in a face-to-face university undergraduate course. Students' perceptions were gathered via an online…

We describe a longitudinal (5-year) researcher-supported initiative designed to strengthen the research-practice link (RPL) and serve as an effective form of situated professional learning and development (PLD) in adult second language programs. We facilitated the formation of and supported 9 professional reading groups of 6-12 instructors (N =…

To close equity gaps in California Community Colleges, we need institutional and curricular transformations. This article discusses research on pedagogical and institutional approaches to equity and change that guided Basic Skills faculty, administrators, student service staff, and students in the Academic Committee for Equity and Success (ACES)…

Research around learning community models often shows a structured and defined model to follow with the underlying assumption being if the steps are followed, the results will come. The model we offer in this paper is rather counter-cultural as it was not a specific process or practice we followed; rather, we found ourselves in a highly engaging,…

Learner engagement in online courses is impacted by a wide variety of factors. The purpose of this study was to understand to what extent course community support and personal community support influence learner engagement. Students who had recently completed an online course in a small art and design school were surveyed on their level of…